The New Age of Vegas
by WordSmith1916
Summary: The Courier has spent years building his new nation, but now a great threat looms on the horizon. This is my first story, so any and all feedback is greatly appreciated.
1. Chapter 1 and 2

Chapter 1

2287: Wolfe Hunter looked out over the city of New Vegas. The 31 year old was dressed formally, black suit jacket and pants, black shoes, a white shirt and a red waistcoat and dickey-bow. As always, he had his Bowie knife in its sheath on his left side and his 10mm pistol, with silencer and laser sight, on his right. His black hair and beard, both streaked with grey, were tightly cropped, not that you could see his hair under the beret he was wearing. Steely grey eyes peered out through his glasses, admiring the lights of the city. His city. Officially, now that he had been elected President in the Vegas Free State's first ever general election. It had taken him, and his allies, over six years to build and rebuild Vegas into the power it was now, and it had all started that night he'd been shot in the head.

He couldn't remember much of his early life. The faces of friends and family were either blurry or non-existent, a result of meeting the business end of Maria, Benny's 9mm pistol. What he did know was that he'd been born in Shady Sands, capitol of the New California Republic, in 2256, and had joined the army at about 14 or 15. His excellent marksmanship had seen Wolfe rise until, at 20, he was accepted into First Recon, the elite sniper unit. It was also around this time he realised that he hated taking orders. When the time came to re-enlist, he simply walked away. His only remaining connections to First Recon were his sniping skills and the red beret that he still wore to this day.

What followed was a series of mercenary jobs which, although well paid, lacked the sense of freedom that Wolfe craved. Eventually, he found himself working as a freelance courier, roaming the wastelands and seeing what was left of the world. And he loved every second of it. That is, until that fateful day in 2281 that he'd arrived in Primm and been given an oversized poker chip to deliver to the Strip. What followed was nearly being killed, hunting down the man responsible and taking revenge, discovering a plot far bigger than him, and in the end seizing control of the entire Mojave Wasteland.

Wolfe ended up killing Mr. House, the ruler the Strip, and using the Lucky 38 as a base of operations. Under the pretence of assisting the NCR (although he did a lot of that as well) he began recruiting or removing the various factions in the wasteland. He convinced the Great Khans to move Northwest, gained the support of the Boomers, removed the cannibalistic element of the White Glove Society and killed the Legion-allied leaders of the Omeretas. He had also single-handedly massacred the Mojave chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel. As it turned out, the poker chip he had been supposed to deliver was a powerful software upgrade for House's Securitrons, and the key to an army of them under the Fort. After slaughtering any trace of the Legion on the Vegas side of the Colorado and recruiting the Remnants of the Enclave to fight for him, Wolfe led his troops across the dam during the battle and confronted Legate Lanius; the new Caesar after Wolfe had shot the previous one in the face with a shotgun. He proceeded to slay Lanius in single combat, claiming his mask and blade as trophies, before turning around and, with help from his new army of upgraded Securitrons, convincing General Oliver Lee to surrender and remove NCR troops from the Mojave.

The first thing Wolfe had done after the Second Battle of Hoover Dam was issue a declaration. In it he stated that any Raider or criminal operating in the Mojave would be given amnesty should the join the new nation's army. As he expected, the shattered remains of the Powder Gangers, including those who had failed the Khan's initiation ritual, were only too eager to join up, as were a number of NCR and even Legion deserters. The other Raider groups, like the Fiends, Vipers, Jackals and Scorpions, proved more reluctant, and found themselves facing the dangerous end of his Securitrons' Gatling lasers. Those who accepted the offer, along with the Vegas locals and NCR squatters who signed up, were trained at Camp McCarran by his army officers; General Judah Kreger, Colonel Orion Moreno, Colonel Cannibal Johnson, Colonel Craig Boone, and Colonel Christine Royce. Those who proved themselves exceptional in combat were moved to Hidden Valley to continue training under Kreger, Moreno, and Johnson. These soldiers made up Wolfe's power-armoured units.

The second thing he'd done was to claim sovereignty over not only the Mojave, but also Zion Canyon and the ruins of the Divide. Few disputed his claim. Squads of Securitrons were sent into the Divide with the sole purpose of salvaging the gold mine of weaponry that was stored there, and returning it to Vegas. Zion was pretty much left alone. Wolfe also had the Think Tank at Big MT develop a material that could resist the corrosive cloud in the Sierra Madre, and construct Securitrons out of it. These robots were used to clear the casino and villa of weaponry, valuables, and technology, especially the gold from the casino vault and the miracle vending machines. Those two recoveries set the Vegas economy on its feet. Cloud residue was also collected and sold to the bars and casinos, where the Sierra Madre Martini became increasingly popular.

Wolfe looked around the penthouse of the Lucky 38. Where once the shelves had been piled high with pre-war books, most of those had been donated to the Silver Rush Library, run by the Followers of the Apocalypse in Freeside. Instead they were now filed with the trinkets and trophies of Wolfe's travels and battles and victories. Lanius' mask and blade, the power-fist of Salt-Upon-Wounds, tribal leader of the White Legs, Maria, Benny's pistol, and many others. Wolfe sighed and sat down, waiting for the other members of his country's first government to arrive.

The first was Judah, representing the Military. Next came Swank, Marjorie, and Cachino, the leaders of the Chairmen, White Glove Society and the Omeretas respectively. Then came the King from Freeside and Tom Anderson from Westside. Loyal from Nelis, Marcus from Jacobstown, and Neil from Black Mountain. Sunny from Goodsprings, Beagle from Primm, Chomps from Sloan and Jason Bright from Novac. Captain Giles from Bitter Springs. Crandon from North Vegas. The representatives of the rebuilt Nipton, Nelson, Cottenwood Cove, Vaults 3, 11, 19 and 22, Cass from the Mojave Caravan Company, Ike from Boulder City and Arcade to represent the Followers. The last to arrive was the representative of Alcatraz, a small town set up in the ruins of the NCR Correctional Facility by NCR immigrants. "Well," said Wolfe, "Let's get down to business". He wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. There was a very special guest arriving today.

Chapter 2

Star Paladin Chris Waters sat as still as a rock as the Vertibird approached their destination. Across from him, Knight Arthur Maxson was fidgeting, as he had been doing for the entire trip. Chris knew Arthur looked up to him, but the boy had never been good with Vertibirds. Chris thought of Arthur as a boy since the first time they'd met he'd only been 10 years old, however Chris had to keep reminding himself that ten years had passed since then. Still, he wished Sarah hadn't assigned the young knight to this mission. He would have felt better with Gallows or Dusk watching his back out here. Still, Arthur wasn't the worst backup to have. Chris had trained him to use energy weapons himself, and he was a good shot with the Telsa Cannon on his back, and the plasma pistol on his hip. Both of them were dressed in Brotherhood of Steel power armour. Of course, with the technology available to the Brotherhood in the east, their energy weapons and power armour were light-years ahead of anything else you would find in the wasteland. Light-weight, super-durable, and far more powerful than the standard. Chris didn't have a Telsa Cannon. Instead, he had a black laser rifle on his back. The rifle's name was Metal Blaster, and he'd picked it up during his time in The Pitt. On his left hip was his trusty combat knife, Occam's razor. He'd claimed it from Commander Jabsco of Talon Company during his assault on Fort Bannister. Both he and Arthur had five plasma grenades each strapped across their chests. They weren't just ready to fight. They were ready for war.

"Approaching New Vegas, ETA 10 minutes" called back the pilot, a tall red haired woman who went by the name of Torch. Clad in Brotherhood Recon armour, she had what appeared to be a sword on her left hip, and a laser pistol on her right. Chris looked at Arthur, and as expected found his gaze lingering on the back of Torch's head. He grinned and snapped his fingers in Arthur's face. "You wouldn't even think we just spent 20 hours straight stuck in here, would you?" he laughed, and the other two joined in. Soon, the Vertibird began to descend, on top of a building that was apparently being used as the NCR embassy. Six figures waited for them on the roof. Four were clad in power armour, of which three were wielding Gauss Rifles and one had a plasma caster. The fifth man was dressed in a tuxedo and a red beret, and he appeared to be unarmed. Beside him floated something Chris had hoped he would never have to see again; an Enclave Eyebot. "Keep your weapons ready" he muttered. Arthur and Torch nodded.

Once the Vertibird had touched down the three of them descended onto the roof. Chris stepped forward, as did the man in the tuxedo. The man extended his hand. "President Wolfe Hunter, at your service" he smiled. Chris took his hand and shook it, replying "Star Paladin Chris Waters, we spoke via radio last month". "Yes, I remember" said Wolfe "I'll show you and your companions to your rooms and then tomorrow we can get down to business". He turned and walked towards the stairs, the Eyebot following him. His power-armoured guards never took their eyes off the trio. Chris would have preferred to get right down to business, but this was Wolfe's territory. They were playing by his rules now. "Are we staying in the embassy then?" Arthur asked one of the guards, the one with the plasma caster. "No" he replied "you're being set up in the Lucky 38; hotel, casino, and seat of government. Although it hasn't been used as a casino in hundreds of years". As long as Chris could find a bottle of Scotch he'd be happy to sleep in the Vertibird. But still they followed after Wolfe and his Eyebot, the guards still watching their every move.

The room in the Lucky 38 was definitely five-star. After removing his power armour, setting down his weaponry and changing into camo trousers and a white t-shirt, Chris checked the mini-fridge and sure enough found a bottle of Scotch. His father had always loved Scotch. He had just poured himself a glass when there was a knock on the door. He yelled that it was open and Arthur and Torch walked in. They were both dressed exactly the same as he was. Chris's t-shirt showed off the shiny metallic plating that not just covered, but actually made up his right arm. Curtesy of Talon Company, he had been caught in a plasma booby-trap without his armour, just outside Megaton. The Brotherhood Scribes had done everything they could, replacing his right arm and left leg (from just above the knee) with robotic titanium replacements. The titanium plating also extended over the right side of his chest, and his right lung had been replaced by machinery. Aside from all that, he was perfectly intact, although not quite human. Doctor Lesko in Grayditch had given him a mutagenic bio-enhancer, which improved his sight beyond human limits and made his skin highly resistant to flame damage. On top of that, an experiment with Moira Brown involving massive amounts of radiation resulted in Chris developing a mutation. Although he could still die of radiation poisoning, exposure to radiation caused his physical wounds like cuts and broken bones to heal rapidly. Rothchild had told him that the ability was similar to the mutation found in Ghouls, without being immune to radiation poisoning or looking like a corpse. Chris wasn't too bothered about not being entirely human. In his mind, nobody in the wasteland was, and aside from the Enclave nobody made a big deal out of it.

He poured two more glasses and invited Arthur and Torch to sit, to which they happily obliged. "Tell me," he said, sipping his Scotch, "what are your first impressions?". Torch was the first to speak. "The city is heavily protected, both by those Securitron robots and by human soldiers. Their weaponry is high grade, very good condition, and they're all armed to the teeth. I'm pretty sure I saw at least one who'd filed his teeth to points as well. Most of the soldiers use conventional guns, energy weapons seem to be concentrated with the ones in power armour. Most soldiers' armour seems to be based off the old Desert Ranger gear, right down to the helmet. The power armour is a mix of T-45b and T-51b models. Not as advanced as our newer models, but still sturdy and obviously functional. It seems as though it's common for units to be accompanied by cyberdogs as well". Chris nodded approvingly at the young knight's keen perception. "And what do you think of our host, Arthur?" he asked. Arthur swallowed his Scotch and took a minute to get over the strong taste. "Well," he replied when he'd recovered, "he doesn't give much away. Plays his cards close to his chest. I don't trust that Eyebot of his, but so far he hasn't given us a reason not to trust him". Chris looked at both of the knights in front of him and stood up. "The key words in that sentence are 'so far'. We're thousands of miles from backup if things go wrong and the only help we have is from a man we're not even sure we can trust. This mission is one of the most important objectives the Brotherhood has ever undertaken. We need to find out if President Wolfe is our ally, and if not, how we can make sure he doesn't interfere. Make no mistake. If we fail here, humanity falls with us".


	2. Chapter 3

_Hey, so I'm still trying to figure out this site and that means that chapter 2 here is technically chapter three of the story. sorry about that._

Chapter 3.

In the middle of the night, Cottonwood Cove was silent as the grave. All of its residents were fast asleep, while three Securitrons quietly patrolled the small town. On the banks of the Colorado there was a sudden splashing sound. One of the Securitrons noticed and went to investigate. A man rose up from the river, water dripping from his muscular form. He was at least seven foot tall, built like he had been training since birth, and his skin was the colour of ebony. Despite his swim in the river, his Mohawk stood tall and proud on his head, and his goatee was still dripping. On his hip was a deadly sharp machete, and on his back was a massive super sledge. His armour was that of a centurion of Caesar's Legion. The Securitron shined a spotlight on him and aimed its Gatling laser. "Identify yourself" came the robotic warning. The man raised his hands above his head in surrender. "My name is Brutus, former Centurion of the Legion and War Chief of my new tribe, the Bloodbulls. I come with a warning. My tribe is dead. Arizona is dead. And Vegas is next".


	3. Chapter 4

_(Thanks to everyone who has read the story so far, and thanks to John Pascal for the feedback, hope the dialogue is easier to read this time)_

Chapter 4.

The next morning, Wolfe sat in the penthouse waiting for Chris. He had no idea what the Eastern chapter of the Brotherhood wanted with him, or why it was so urgent, but his main worry was that it concerned the Mojave Brotherhood. Part of him was afraid that Chris and his knights were a hit squad sent to exact revenge. He pulled out his 10mm pistol and looked at it. He had modded the pistol during his travels with a silencer, a laser sight, and extended mags. It was a silent and deadly weapon, suited to a man who preferred to have the element of surprise over his enemies. He holstered the gun and patted his Bowie knife, Blood-nap, where it was sheathed on his hip. Hopefully he wouldn't need either of them during this meeting, but you never can be sure.

"Our esteemed guest has arrived sir!" came the annoyingly cheery voice of Yes Man.

Wolfe looked up at the elevator and sure enough, out stepped Chris. White t-shirt, camo trousers, black boots. A combat knife in plain sight on his hip.

"Thank you Yes Man. Paladin, please have a seat".

Wolfe walked over to his desk and sat behind it, gesturing to the chair in front of the desk. When Chris had taken his seat Wolfe asked

"Can I offer you a drink?".

Chris thought for a moment and nodded.

"Scotch would be great".

Wolfe smiled and called out

"Yes Man, have one of the Securitrons bring up a bottle of our best Scotch".

He then reached into the drawer of the desk and pulled out a cigar, offering it across the table. Chris simply shook his head. Wolfe lit the cigar and took a drag before saying

"Business then?".

Both men looked at each other. They each could tell that the other was not an average man. They had been to hell and back and both had survived. Chris broke the silence first.

"What I'm about to share with you is highly classified information. Under normal circumstances the Brotherhood would simply handle this ourselves, but outside events have forced us to bring third parties into the fold, you being chief among them. Before I tell you anything, I need to know that I can trust you".

Wolfe stood up from the desk and walked to the window, still puffing on his Cuban. It seemed like a long time passed before he spoke.

"In the East, the Brotherhood are the champions and defenders of the people, am I correct?".

Chris muttered a positive response as Wolfe turned around.

"In the Mojave, this was not the case. The Brotherhood here was insular and aggressive. They stole technology from anyone they came across and weren't afraid to kill or maim to get what they wanted. Not all of them, you understand. My friend Veronica was a scribe with the order, and thought more like you and your brothers. But she eventually was forced to make the choice to either cease her treasonous rhetoric, or leave the Brotherhood forever. When she chose the latter, a hit squad followed her and me and massacred a group of doctors of the Followers of the Apocalypse. She's currently working in the Old Mormon Fort in Freeside. I hope you see that, from my experience of them, the brotherhood here were nothing more than Raiders in power armour. So I killed them". He looked Chris dead in the eye as he said it. "I had to make sure that if I took control of the Mojave, the people here would be safe. The Brotherhood was a threat to the people of New Vegas and I removed it. It didn't give me any pleasure, but it had to be done. If they'd listened when Veronica and I tried to tell them… I gave them that chance and they turned it down".

Chris drank his Scotch in silence, his eyes never leaving Wolfe's face.

"We suspected as much" he sighed after a while.

Running his hands through his messy auburn hair, he finished his drink and set the glass down on the table.

"For the most part, The Brotherhood has been more adept at making enemies than friends. If more chapters had followed the example of Owyn Lyons and actually tried to make the world a better place the wasteland might not be as bad as it is"

"Is Elder Lyons still in charge of the Brotherhood in D.C?" asked Wolfe.

"No, he sadly passed away 5 years ago, aged 80. His daughter, my wife, Sarah is our new Elder"

"Do you miss her?"

"Of course I do, and our children" came the reply as Chris pulled a photo out of his pocket and showed it to Wolfe. "Marie is our adopted daughter, she's eleven. Then there's James, he's 6, and little Owyn is 4"

Wolfe examined the photo. The family of five seemed to be perfectly happy. Sarah Lyons was a beautiful woman, yet she seemed to have aura of toughness around her. Marie had messy black hair and a look that said it all. She had seen things no eleven year old should see, the kind of things that make the wasteland a ruthless and unforgiving place. Both of the boys had inherited their mother's blonde hair, but their facial structure more closely resembled their father. He handed the photo back.

"That's a beautiful family, it must have been something important that convinced you to come on this mission"

Chris looked at the photo and nodded. "You trusted me with your secret, a secret that could have gotten you killed given who you're talking to. So here's our secret. About 11 months ago the Brotherhood staged a full-scale assault on Vault 87, the home of the super mutants in D.C. We lost a lot of good people, but we finally managed to take the vault and cut off their supply of F.E.V. Their number have been dwindling ever since. We imploded the vault after stripping all of its working technology and data, but we also took a lot of samples of the F.E.V that we found, and brought it back to the Citadel to be examined. The Scribe in charge of that project was Scribe Carpenter. She was very smart and very ambitious. She was also involved in another project the Brotherhood has been working on. This is even more top secret and under normal circumstances, I'd be court-martialled for even mentioning it"

Wolfe had sat back down at the desk, intrigued by the story being woven by Chris. He was a little bit uneasy about the thoughts of a super mutant genocide, given that he had super mutant friends and two members of his government were super mutants, but decided to let the Paladin continue.

"About ten years ago, we came into contact with aliens"

Chris paused to allow that piece of information to sink in. He was surprised when Wolfe merely nodded for him to keep going.

"I was abducted and trapped on board their ship, but with help from some other captives we managed to overpower the alien and take over the ship. Alien technology is what makes our weapons, armour, and Vertibirds more powerful and efficient, on top of the medical technology we were able to recover. My companions killed every alien aboard the ship, even the unarmed ones, and eventually their bodies were returned to earth to be examined at the Citadel. This was the other project Scribe Carpenter was working on. At some point, she decided to test the effect of F.E.V on the alien DNA we had preserved. Because the experiment was refused approval by Scribe Rothchild, she worked alone and in secret. And then there was an accident. Some kind of explosion in the laboratory while everyone else was asleep. We're still not sure what happened, but our guess is that Carpenter was infected with an alien infused strain of F.E.V. Before we could quarantine her, she fled, leaving this message"

Chris activated the recording on his pip-boy, and a woman's voice filled the room.

"I am evolved. The super mutants were a failure, an evolutionary step backwards to a time of brutality and senselessness. But these aliens; they are the future. I have taken the first step in achieving the perfect that these godlike beings have ascended to. Julie Carpenter is dead, a necessary loss in the evolutionary chain. I am the Queen, and all shall bow before me"

The recording ended and Chris looked back at Wolfe, whose face was now creased with worry.

"We know she headed east, and we know that people have been disappearing in an almost straight line from the Capital Wasteland to Vegas. The worrying part is that when we examined some of her DNA that she left behind during her escape, we found that the virus is replicating itself. She may have the ability to produce more of it and infect others. We need your help to catch her here before she has a chance to move on. The super mutant threat on the East Coast is dead, and I can't let one of our own start it all over again"

Wolfe was just about to respond when Yes Man interrupted.

"Sir, two Securitrons from Cottonwood Cove have checked a prisoner into Camp McCarran. Something about Arizona being dead and a threat to the Vegas Free State"

Wolfe's face dropped even further as he realised that the threat to his nation might be closer than he could ever have imagined.


	4. Chapter 5

Chapter 5.

Wolfe still remembered the interrogation room in Camp McCarran. Years ago, he had pried information from a captured centurion in this room. And now there was another centurion sitting in front of him. For a man who had allegedly seen his entire tribe slaughtered, Brutus was sitting quite calmly in the small grey room, looking Wolfe dead in the eye. They sized each other up for a few minutes. Wolfe looked the massive burly man up and down. He had obviously been training since he could walk. And he was proud of it. All the weapons he had carried across the river were close combat melee weapons. Not even a single throwing spear, which was uncommon among Caesar's Legion. That told Wolfe that Brutus enjoyed the kill, or at least enjoyed feeling his own power to make the kill. A ranged weapon would take the fun out of his sport. He liked to get up close and personal. Brutus was also making his own deductions, however his were coloured by the stories he had heard about The Courier. His first thought was about the glasses. This was a man so famed as a sniper that legionaries had stopped lighting camp fires during the war, in the hope that darkness would protect them. How does a man with that level of accuracy need glasses? He wasn't that big either, but the legends say he killed Lanius with a gun the size of a Deathclaw. He was fully geared for battle as well. His Elite Riot Armour was in pristine condition, as was the silenced sniper rifle on his back. But his eyes were what marked him as a warrior. The stone-cold eyes of a man who would kill anyone who threatened him or what he loved.

"Tell me about this threat" Wolfe said, breaking the silence.

Brutus continued to stare at him for a minute, then spoke, his voice hushed and controlled.

"They came in the night, screaming like the devils of Hades. We never stood a chance. We couldn't even kill one. When most of our warriors had fallen they herded the rest of us into a circle to wait. To wait for the Queen. She walked among the creatures with no fear, and they parted for her without any command. Then, she touched my tribe. She touched them on the forehead and blessed them, told them they would be stronger when they served her. After that we were taken underground, and over the next few days my people began to turn, becoming inhuman. The Queen said that a she needed a palace from which to rule, and we would help her take New Vegas so that she could rule over the Wasteland".

Wolfe took all this information in before asking;

"Why weren't you turned?"

"Some of us were not touched; we were to serve as food for her soldiers. One night, I strangled the guard and with a few others grabbed whatever weapons we could find and made a run for it. I am the only one who survived the escape".

Wolfe believed the man's story. This confirmed the worst fears that Chris had expressed about the Queen, that she was turning the wastelanders into her own army. But he needed more. What he had wouldn't help him defend New Vegas from the threat that now faced it.

"I have three questions" he said, leaning closer to the centurion. "Where are they? What weapons do they have? And when are they going to attack?"

Brutus thought long and hard before answering, his brow furrowed. Other than his face his body was completely still.

"I do not know where they are. It was dark when I escaped and I did not pay attention to where I was going; only that it was away from the Queen and her army. They do not use weaponry, the creatures strength and claw are like a Deathclaw's, more than enough to kill any man. Finally, they will attack soon. How soon, I cannot specify, but it will be soon".

Wolfe stood up straight and left the room. Outside were ED-E, Judah, Yes Man in a Securitron's body, Boone, and Chris. The four men exchanged a look, a look that any soldier knows all too well. A look that said it was time for war.

Outside, Wolfe was standing next to his motorcycle, ED-E floating right behind him. In the years since the Second Battle of Hoover Dam, great strides had been made in recovering transport technology. Between the energy research the Followers had pulled off ED-E's hard-drives, the re-opening of several factories across the Mojave, and a little help from the Think Tank, fusion and solar-powered vehicles were back on the roads. The amount was limited, however, by the cost of building them. So far, they were solely used for the military, with the exception f Wolfe's motorcycle. Yes Man had left the Securitron and returned his AI to the Lucky 38. Chris had boarded the monorail back to the Strip, eager to share his new info with the rest of his team.

"What will we do with the Brutus guy?" asked Boone.

"Leave him where he is for now" replied Wolfe. "I need to get some space to think. Radio me by any means necessary if an attack begins".

With that, he sped off through the gates of Camp McCarran on his bike, ED-E trailing close behind.


	5. Chapter 6

Chapter 6.

Brutus sat alone in the interrogation room, picking at the stitching on a cut on his arm. He thought about the Courier, the man who had killed Caesar. Not just Caesar, but Legate Lanius, Vulpes Inculta, and Lucius, leader of the Praetorian Guards. The only three men who could have held the Legion together after the death of Caesar. Without them, the Legion fell apart in a matter of months. The strong had gathered up followers and returned to the old tribal ways. Those left behind tried to cross into Vegas as refugees, some even joining the new state's army. Arizona, once the home of the safest trading routes outside of the NCR, was reduced to an untamed wilderness of warring tribes. It was as if Caesar had never risen up in the first place. But Caesar had been a god. For surely the Son of Mars was a god by birthright? What then was the Courier? A man who could kill a god and walk away with his life: now that was true power.

The stitching in his wound was starting to come undone. Blood was dripping down his arm and pooling on the floor. He remembered to battle on the Dam all too well. At first the Legion had made great headway, cutting through the profligates like butter. Then, the Courier had arrived. With him had been a crazy group of warriors. The flying robot that followed him everywhere. A dog that was half animal and half machine. A profligate sniper. A woman who reeked of whiskey. A ghoul dressed as a cowboy. Another woman with a powerfist. And most terrifying, a super mutant in a straw hat, swinging a massive sword through its enemies. With them was one of the robots that attacked the Fort, a Securitron. They charged across the Dam, rescuing the profligates and slaughtering Legion warriors. Then, a vessel descended from the sky, and dropped a group of soldiers in power armour that started killing legionnaires. While all this fighting was raging across the Dam, a plane flew overhead, dropping bombs on Legion positions. Then Khans never showed up to aid the Legion either, cowards. It all ended when the Courier confronted the Legate though. They had traded insults and threats, until Lanius charged with his blade. The Courier had a huge machine-gun that barked like a dog, and he had gunned the Legate down before he could close the distance. To his shame, Brutus had fled after he watched Lanius' body being stripped of his mask and crucified. The Legion had truly died with the Legate on that battlefield.

The wound in Brutus' arm was completely open now. Grimacing, he reached into the wound and pulled out the bobby pin hidden beneath his skin. Leaving a trail of blood, he moved to the door and began to pick the lock. The Courier had brought down the Legion. Now Brutus would return the favour. The lock clicked open and he snuck outside. The guard posted in his room ahd fallen asleep in a chair. Smiling, Brutus grabbed his neck and crushed his windpipe, killing him without a sound. Stripping the guard, he dressed himself in his armour and put on his helmet. The armour was ill-fitting and the helmet was constricting his head, but it would hide his identity. He walked out of the room and headed towards the monorail, the plan going better than he could have hoped.

Nobody on the Strip paid any notice to the tall figure in the ranger combat armour. This was going to be the trickiest part of the plan. Walking over to a dropbox and pulled out a package. Inside were at least five pulse grenades. Brutus walked into the Lucky 38 and immediately tossed two of the grenades, disabling the Securitrons on the ground floor. Wasting no time, he entered the elevator and set it to bring him to the penthouse. The rest of the pulse grenades took care of the Securitrons up here. He made his way to the giant computer and once again reached into the wound on his arm, this time pulling out a small USB key. The screen on the computer flickered to life, showing a huge smiling face.

"Hi there!" exclaimed Yes Man "I hope you're not planning anything bold now".

Brutus ignored him and plugged in the USB key. He took a deep breath, his vengeance at hand.

"Long live the Queen".

Then he hit enter.


	6. Chapter 7

Chapter 7.

Red Rock Canyon was quite as the grave. During the battle at the Dam, the Great Khans had packed up and moved off, heading north. The only traces that the Great Khans had ever made it their home were the small house on the ridge and the circular arena in the centre. Wolfe was crouched at the edge of that area, his sniper rifle in his hands. Three targets were set up on the other side. Taking a deep breath, he let off three shots in rapid succession. Three bullseyes. He was just reloading when he heard a voice behind him.

"You were always a little too good with that rifle Boss"

Wolfe grinned and turned to face the speaker. Raul hadn't changed in the five years since Wolfe had last seen him. He was still wearing that vaquero outfit, and still had his .44 magnum revolver on his hip. Standing up, he walked over and embraced the ghoul for a moment before saying

"It's been years old friend".

"Too long Boss, I think I was starting to miss you a little bit".

The two friends sat on the ground, with ED-E hovering beside them, and began talking. Wolfe brought Raul up to date on the development of the Vegas Free State, and the new threat that had arisen.

"But what I want to know is where you've been for the past five years".

Raul grimaced as he remembered the ordeals he had gone through in the last half a decade.

"Arizona was the first place I went. Legion had fallen apart. Rape and murder everywhere. Thought I could do some good, maybe protect some settlements, but there's nothing to protect. If you're not part of the hundred or so tribes who are all trying to kill each other you've got zero chance of survival. So I moved on, headed back to Mexico. Things were a bit better there. At least there were clear lines in the sand. If they were living in a settlement and weren't killing people, I didn't shoot them. If they were a raider going around doing wrong, I shot them. I'd like to think I did some good out there, but I'm only one man and I'm getting old"

He laughed as he finished. Raul's age was a running joke between him and Wolfe. Even as they laughed ED-E's speakers began to spark to life. A panicked voice began to speak from the static.

"Mr. President Sir! I was told to contact you on this frequency. Everything is going to hell here Sir! The entire Securitron network is down and there's creatures ripping us apart. They've already cleared out the eastern ranger outposts and they're swarming McCarran. We're heard reports that they're trying to overrun the Strip as well. General Kreger is ordering an evacuation to Hidden Valley and we're moving out now. One last thing Sir. The Lucky 38 has gone dark".

A voice in the background shouted that they were moving out, and the static died. Wolfe was silent for a minute, then ran to his motorcycle with Raul and ED-E following. He hoped on and started it up. ED-E settled into his holster on the front of the bike and Raul jumped on behind him. Wolfe kick-started the bike and they sped off, blood-red clouds of dust swirling behind them.


End file.
